Quaint lodging in Rome near the Spanish steps and Trevi fountain

When in a major city we always avoid “charming and quaint” as you will not be as protected from the noises of the city. Stat in a nice , smaller sized hotel. . Also the area around the Spanish Steps is where we stayed on our first visit to Rome. Never again. Yes there are toney designer shops but it a crowded over touristed area and we could not wait to leave. Choose areas different from the two that you mentioned. Look at staying near Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Campo dei Fiori, Travestere, or Monti neighborhoods.

Amen to what Suki said, stay near a metro or taxi stand both Spanish step and Trevi are like staying near a rock concert. J

What is your budget per night,? Are you hoping to stay in one room? If so, are you ok with a sofa bed? Finding rooms that sleep 4 is very difficult.

When the guys in the Trip To Italy movie stop in Rome they are staying at Hotel Locarno by the Piazza del Popolo.

https://www.hotellocarno.com/en

I originally chose it for the location and because they have free bikes to borrow, but the breakfasts turned out to be amazing and some of the bathrooms have huge old-fashioned tubs with handheld shower wands that were also a treat. Different rooms are very different so make sure you get what suits you. Some stairs and creaky wooden floors, not as much as other 'quaint' locales.

We stayed at Hotel Fontana, in front of the Trevi Fountain over New Years, Dec 2019, it was perfect for us. (It was a dream of mine to stay at this hotel, having visited Rome many times over the decades and always staying with Italian relatives outside of downtown, I really wanted to experience the historical center). It's entrance is underwhelming, it has an odd narrow lobby, small lift but amazing breakfast views out over Trevi fountain and a fabulous location, moderately priced. I don't believe there was a lift up to breakfast floor, you had to ascend some stairs from the floor below it, in case there's mobility issues. Yes, it was frequently mobbed out front by the fountain, but the mornings were heavenly! We're both noise sensitive, but it's hardly a rock concert outside. We asked for a quiet room facing the back, away from the fountain. And even on NYE, when we were back well before midnight, we didn't hear much noise, I seem to recall the hotel has triple glazed windows. As the last poster mentioned, there will be a variety of rooms in smaller hotels. Ours was quite spacious by Italian standards, had 2 double beds & a strange set of stairs down into the bathroom, with a large tub & lots of space. And low eves that made us nuts so we remade the bed in the other direction so we didn't hit our heads, quaint right?? Service at breakfast was great & offerings were ample. The hotel arranged airport pick up & drop off, which worked. I booked directly with the hotel & emailed them about what we wanted in terms of a room & booked the airport pick up the same way. https://www.hotelfontana-trevi.com/en/. PS, There's a taxi stand about a 100 yards down the road off a main street.

As Suki suggested, ou might consider a location closer to the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, etc? You'd be more centrally located to other attractions there. Honestly, the Spanish Steps and Trevi are just walk-bys that are best to see when en-route to something else, IMHO.

Rome, BTW, is a walking city best sightseen from the sidewalks. There are bus, tram and (limited) metro services but I'd plan on walking as much as possible unless you or someone in your group have mobility challenges. There is also taxi service (we've not yet used cabs in Rome) but they are not 'hailed' from the street as you may have done in other cities. You go to a taxi stand or call/summon one with a phone/app.

With 4 of you, I definitely would consider a cab or private car service to your hotel from the airport, if flying into Fiumicino.

You also want to be a bit careful with "quaint", which could translate into steep stairways, lack of electrical outlets, loads of dust-harboring draperies, poor insulation from noise in adjoining rooms, etc. :O)

I think you would enjoy Hotel Smeraldo.
https://www.smeraldoroma.com/en/

Hi Jeanne, my daughter & I stayed at the Hotel Manfredi Suite near the Spanish Steps. (This was my fourth time to Rome.). This hotel upgraded us to a nicely furnished room, and the breakfast was excellent. It is just two blocks from the Spagna Metro stop, but around the corner from the main street, so it was very quiet. It’s street is near the edge of the Borghese Park. We spent part of our last day having fun up in the Borghese Park.

Have you considered staying at a convent. If you look at monastery stays there are a number, some of small twin beds but others have been upgraded. One of the advantages is they sometimes serve a dinner and you will almost certainly have some nice public spaces to use. Take a look at monastery stays :https://www.monasterystays.com/?d=Italy/Lazio/Rome-accommodation.

We have stayed in both the Domus Australia and the Suore di Elisabetta, and liked both. Domus Australia is a little further from the action, but convenient to the train station.